'Next time we will go after him': KL Rahul issues warning to Sri Lanka's champion bowler

IND vs SL: Sri Lanka challenged Team India at the R. Premadasa Stadium, in contrast to the previous day's match against Pakistan. Despite an early onslaught from Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, the Lankan Lions held strong, as the hosts eventually limited India to a meagre 213 runs courtesy of an excellent performance from Dunith Wellalage. Despite the fact that the target was not very intimidating by cricketing standards, Team India managed to pull out a commanding 41-run victory. 

3 things you need to know 

• Team India has made it to the final of the Asia Cup in 2023
• Team India's last Super Four match will now be against Bangladesh
• After Pakistan plays Sri Lanka, we'll know who the other Asia Cup 2023 finalist is

READ: Jasprit Bumrah suffers injury scare during IND vs SL match, netizens show concern - WATCH

IND vs SL: KL Rahul makes a huge statement on Dunith Wellalage 

After Sri Lankan spinner Dunith Wellalage did a great job in the Super Four match, KL Rahul, the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman, gave him a bold dare. Rahul said that when the Indian bowlers face Wellalage in the future, they will do things differently. They will "go after" him more aggressively to throw off his rhythm, just like they did in the game in Colombo. He said:  

The next time we play, we will go after him,

Wellalage has only made 13 ODI appearances for Sri Lanka so far 

Wellalage, the 20-year-old, wrecked India's famous batting order in that match. He took five wickets, which was the best performance of his career so far. Rahul agreed that the young spinner was good and said that Wellalage looked like Sri Lanka's most dangerous bowler while he was at the wicket.

READ: 'Whenever ball grips...': Gautam Gambhir slams India's top order after Wellalage's magic

Wellalage's performance stood out because he was able to test right-handed batsmen on both edges of the pitch. He fooled Shubman Gill with a middle-stump ball that turned and hit the off-stump. He got Virat Kohli to make a bad shot with a ball that stopped on the ground, and he got rid of Rohit Sharma with an arm ball.

Image: AP

In his second spell, Wellalage showed off his skill even more by taking the important wicket of Rahul, who chipped a ball right back to the bowler. Wellalage took his fifth wicket by getting Hardik Pandya to edge the ball. Even though India's batsmen were having trouble, Wellalage played so well that Sri Lanka was almost able to win with the bat owing to his unbeaten 42 off 46 balls. Rahul's statement that India will be more aggressive against Wellalage in future matches sets up a very interesting matchup between the skilled young spinner and the Indian batting lineup.